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Finding Aid for the Bentley Family papers, 1849-1970
1474  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The Bentley family was prominent in the nineteenth-century publishing industry. Richard Bentley (1794-1871), after joining his brother Samuel in a successful printing business (1819), partnered with Henry Colburn (1829) to begin the long-running Standard Novels series. After dissolving the partnership with Colburn (1832), Richard began Bentley's Miscellany (1837), which boasted Charles Dickens then W.H. Ainsworth as editors. Richard's son George Bentley (1828-1895) then grandson Richard Bentley (1854-1936) ran Richard Bentley & Son until 1898, when it was sold to Macmillans. The collection consists of diaries, business- and farm-related records, texts written or published by the Bentley family, and works on Bentley family history.
Background
The Bentley family was a prominent nineteenth-century British publishing family. Richard Bentley (1794-1871) joined his brother Samuel Bentley in a successful printing business in 1819. From 1829 to 1832, Richard partnered with publisher Henry Colburn to form Colburn & Bentley. The pair began the series Standard Novels, the successful monthly reprints that ended in 1854 with 126 volumes (and included authors such as William Godwin, Jane Austen, Victor Hugo, Washington Irving, Leigh Hunt, Letitia Landon, and Harriet Beecher Stowe). After the split with Colburn, Richard continued to publish, and in 1837 he created the successful Bentley's Miscellany. Both Charles Dickens and W.H. Ainsworth edited the periodical at various points (with Dickens's Oliver Twist first appearing in its pages), and George Cruikshank contributed illustrations. In 1866, Richard merged Bentley's Miscellany with Temple Bar, and his son George Bentley (1828-1895) became editor the following year, also taking on the leadership of Richard Bentley & Son. George's son, Richard Bentley (1854-1936) then ran the business from the mid-1880s until selling it to Macmillans in 1898.
Extent
2 document boxes and 1 half document box (1.25 linear ft.)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.